Striatal dopamine after cortical injury.

After right or left unilateral sensorimotor cortex ablation or a sham operation, dopamine concentrations were assayed in the right and left striatum of rats. In the sham-operated animals, a greater amount of dopamine was found in the left striatum compared with the right. Right or left sensorimotor cortex injury reduced dopamine in both striata. Right hemisphere lesions produced a greater loss of dopamine in the right striatum compared with the effect of a left lesion on dopamine in the left striatum. The results support the hypothesis of an asymmetric response to cortical injury.